*Maizie 'can do'/can't do' has nothing to do with merit, but all to do with people being encouraged to do the best they can and helping those who really do have problems.
In this country, too many people spend their time telling people, especially young people and especially those in most disadvantaged homes that they have no hope, that life is stacked against them, thay they are doomed and might as well not try to better their condition in any way because they will never succeed.
Yes the playing field is never level, but as my links in my past email, showed, there are significant number of people who made it through to the higher levels of the 'meritocracy' and many many more who achieved better lives and careers than their parents.
I went to a northern technical university in the early 1960s. Mostly male students, mostly the sons of men working as operatives in the heavy industries, all benefits of the Butler Education Act, when there was a positive attitude to the sons and daughters of people in all sectors of Society going to university.
It wasn't perfect, what is? But it was a darn sight better than today, when there are so many doomsayers telling children they will not succeed because they are so poor, badly housed, badly educated. Those are difficulties, I would not deny that, but they that can be surmounted and some do it, but many more could if they only had encouragement instead being constantly told they do not stand a chance.
Perhaps with all the positive stories and books about women who have made successful lives for themselves, despite great difficulty, we should have some where working class boys have made good.
I have never voted Conservative, or been tempted to. I haven't ever voted Labour either.